Singaporean-funded project inspires reading habit among children

(VNF) - The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and Ho Chi Minh City’s General Sciences Library jointly launched the second phase of the Words of Wheel (WoW) project on March 29^th, aiming to benefit 7,000 students in primary and secondary schools in the city.

Singapore-funded project Words of Wheel will benefit 7,000 students in primary and secondary schools in HCM City. (Photo: SIF)

The three-year project will provide Vietnamese and English books to students, along with online studying material, multimedia equipment and other library resources through four mobile libraries per week in seven schools in District 2 and District 8.

About 120 Singaporean volunteers will come to Ho Chi Minh City to organise English and IT courses in the city.

Bui Xuan Duc, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City’s General Sciences Library said that the WoW project is expected to inspire students and create reading habit among them.

Lian Wee Cheow, SIF President said that positive impacts on the community were shown in the first phase of the project. In the second phase, the project is hoped to continue helping deal with common challenges of society. The project also reflects the sound friendship between people of Singapore and Vietnam over the past 45 years.

Representative of SIF, Keppel Land Limited and Ho Chi Minh City’s General Sciences Library pose for a group photo with Singapore's Consul General in HCM City Leow Siu Lin. (Photo: VOV)

The WoW in Ho Chi Minh City is part of efforts to enhance friendship and boost positive and sustainable growth in Asia.

In the global scale, the project contributes to the U.N. sustainable development goals, particularly the goal number four on quality and goal number 17 on global partnership and cooperation.

By improving access to books as well as English language and Information Technology (IT) training, the Words on Wheels mobile library opens a new window to the world for children.

The WoW mobile library also serves as a platform for specialist volunteers to share library management and IT skills with overseas librarians and teachers.

In Vietnam, staff of the Ho Chi Minh City's General Sciences Library and SIVs hold English language lessons and storytelling sessions to coach the children in reading. They also teach the children basic IT skills. More than 3,000 primary and secondary school children have had the opportunity to read and use the internet for the first time. Words on Wheels in Ho Chi Minh City is supported by Keppel Land Limited.

Since 2011, along with Ho Chi Minh City, the project has benefited 43,000 children in many other localities, including Hanoi, Bandung and Yogyakarta of Indonesia, and Jaffna of Sri Lanka./.

VNF